Category: Environment

Jardin d’ Acclimatation inaugurated in February 1861 / Wikimedia Commons In the 19th century, groups of European colonialists attempted to ‘improve’ on nature by introducing non-native species all over the world. These ‘acclimatization societies’ could hardly have envisaged the disastrously expensive environmental havoc they had unleashed. By Allison C. Meier / 08.09.2018 The ubiquity of the boisterously[…]

Buildings affect how we sleep, work, socialise and even breathe. They can isolate and endanger us, but they can also heal us. In this extract from ‘Living with Buildings and Walking with Ghosts’ , Iain Sinclair explores the relationships between social planning and health, taking detours along the way. By Iain Sinclair / 10.24.2018 Moving now,[…]

Athens city walls / Photo by GreeceGuy, Wikimedia Commons Critically examining elements of both anthropocentric and non-anthropocentric environmentalism in ancient Greek thinking. By Dr. Munamato Chemhuru Professor of Philosophy University of Johannesburg Abstract In this article, I consider how ancient Greek philosophical thinking might be approached differently if the environmental ethical import that is salient in[…]

Photo by Stephen Bugno, Flickr, Creative Commons Conserving the landscape around Angkor Wat in the face of rapid development. By William Dunbar / 07.22.2016 Senior Communications Director United Nations University Introduction Fishing is one form of livelihood diversification during northern Cambodia’s dry season. Photo: William Dunbar/UNU-IAS It was January and the middle of Cambodia’s dry[…]

Near Oymyakon in Yakutia, Russia / Photo Maarten Takens, Wikimedia Commons To work out how the climate has changed over time, climate scientists need long-term records. By Dr. K. Jan Oosthoek Associate Member, Centre for Environmental History Australian National University Documentary data To get a more convincing assessment of a statement such as a regular occurrence[…]

The world’s biggest desert used to be green, lush and full of hippos. A new theory suggests humans could have tipped the environment over the edge. By Dr. David K. Wright / 03.16.2017 Associate Professor, Department of Archaeology and Art History Seoul National University Once upon a time, the Sahara was green. There were vast lakes. Hippos and giraffe lived there, and large human populations of fishers foraged for food alongside the lakeshores.[…]

Figure 1. Park Hills, Missouri, 120 Buckley Street. The entire street borders the Desloge Chat Pile, which has been remediated by the Environmental Protection Agency and partially transformed into an industrial park. Chat piles are collections of mine tailings, the material leftover once lead is separated from the mined ore that is brought to the[…]

The Growroom exhibited at Copenhagen Opera House. Photo by Alona Vibe From Space10 / 02.14.2017 Introduction The design for The Growroom, an urban farm pavilion that looks into how cities can feed themselves through food producing architecture, is now open source and available for anyone to use. SPACE10 envision a future, where we grow our own[…]

As the site of the baptism of Jesus Christ, the Jordan River is the source of all holy water in Christianity and has for centuries attracted pilgrims from across the world. Over the last 60 years, however, the river has fallen victim to the ongoing regional conflict and been reduced to a polluted muddy stream.[…]

Photo by Pixabay “We can create a spectacular legacy for our loved ones.” By Marlene Cimons / 11.08.2017 Natural burials — where bodies are buried in the soil to allow for a hasty decomposition — have already caught on. But an Australian scientist has proposed that the concept of “dust-unto-dust” go even further. He suggests that natural burials become “conservation”[…]

To Hopi traditionalists—Hopis who practice traditional culture—the humble one-seed juniper tree has deep cultural meaning. / Photo by Mark Sykes In the American Southwest, the loss of juniper trees at the hands of mining and development could cost the Hopi a crucial part of their heritage. By Stewart B. Koyiyumptewa (left) and Dr. Chip Colwell[…]

By Jocelyn Mercado / 11.06.2017 The Link Between Humans and Trees Trees are considered sacred in many cultures. Tree worship, in one form or another, has been practiced, almost universally, by ancient peoples in every corner of the globe. It is no wonder that trees have captured the human imagination since the beginning of time. Their strength,[…]

Photo of Spots courtesy of Isabelle Groc Around the world, canine conservationists are helping humans and wildlife co-exist. By Isabelle Groc / 10.11.2017 It is still cool in the morning as Spots gets ready to start work. Calm and confident, the imposing 10-year old light brown Kangal is leading a herd of goats into a[…]

‘Green burials’ that use biodegradable coffins or lessen the environmental impact in other ways are on the rise. AP Photo/Michael Hill By Dr. Tanya D. Marsh / 10.27.2017 Professor of Law Wake Forest University What do you want to happen to your remains after you die? For the past century, most Americans have accepted a limited[…]

The Willows Natural Burial Ground near the village of South Croxton / Photo by Mat Fascione, Creative Commons These alternative burial methods give a purpose to your remains. By Jennifer Luxton / 10.31.2017 About half of Americans choose cremation, and the other half are buried. But what if you want your body to be useful[…]

Old auto grill / Pixabay Americans once abhorred the automobile. Today, there is a car in every garage. By Jeremy Deaton / 07.10.2017 Disruptive technologies may face terrific backlash, but eventually low cost and convenience prevail. Computers replaced typewriters. Cassettes replaced records. Cars replaced horses. And none of it happened overnight. At the turn of the[…]

The Basking Ridge oak tree / Wikimedia Commons By Gabriel Popkin / 12.06.2016 Amid this year’s titanic political and social upheavals, the town of Basking Ridge, New Jersey, found time for quiet mourning. One of the East Coast’s most famous trees, a centuries-old great white oak that spread its serpentine limbs over a cemetery beside[…]

Photo by Thomas Ricker, Creative Commons By Dr. Rhodri Jenkins / 10.29.2015 Postdoctoral Researcher in Biofuels University of Bath Many of us depend on coffee to fuel our early morning meetings, mid-afternoon slumps or all-night study sessions. These days, the words “coffee” and “fuel” are half-jokingly synonymous. More than 9m tonnes of the bean are[…]

An activist at a protest rally at the White House against the Dakota Access and Keystone XL pipelines in Washington, D.C. Kevin Lamarque By Dr. Rosalyn LaPier / 03.21.2017 Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies, University of Montana Visiting Professor of Women’s Studies, Environmental Studies, and Native American Religion, Harvard Universtiy The Lakota phrase “Mní wičhóni,”[…]

Molecules 10,000 times narrower than the width of a human hair could hold the key to making possible wooden skyscrapers and more energy-efficient paper production, according to research published today in the journal Nature Communications. The study, led by a father and son team at the Universities of Warwick and Cambridge, solves a long-standing mystery[…]

Madison, Wisconsin, USA – October 8, 2013: Construction workers install a solar panel system on a residential home for power generation. / From Filo at iStock Corporate-backed utilities have quashed solar initiatives for years, but residents fought back. By Adam Lynch / 12.02.2016 Commonly topping any list of obstacles to a home solar energy boom[…]

Very powerful, try to avoid. / Shutterstock By Dr. Matthew Pasek / 12.08.2016 Associate Professor of Geosciences University of South Florida For most of human history, people have been terrified by lightning. Frightening bolts from above, lightning was a tool of the gods to smite mortals for their hubris (or their unfortunate penchant for seeking[…]

By Tanja Taljaard / 12.02.2016 How Can Nature Nurture You? A dose of nature can cure many ailments. From antidepressant microbes in soil, to absorbing the Earth’s free-flowing electrons through the soles of one’s feet (Earthing), Eco Therapy has a long list of benefits, both physical and psychological. It calms the mind, helps us focus,[…]

Illustration by Erin Dunn By Gavriella Keyles / 08.31.2016 The growth of distributed energy generation, particularly in the form of solar energy, leaves the aging, monopolistic electric utility system a daunting choice: Come out swinging in defense of the status quo or boldly jump into the cockpit, put on the co-pilot’s hat and fly toward[…]

NASA Earth Observatory image of hurricanes Lester and Madeline taken August 29, 2016, when both storms were hovering between Category 3 and 4. / Jesse Allen / NASA Earth Observatory, using VIIRS data from the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership By Adam Wernick / 09.27.2016 Familiar weather patterns are a thing of the past, and the[…]

Lightning moves pretty quickly; would you call it instantaneous? Steven Vanderburg, NOAA By Dr. Kevin Knudson / 09.14.2016 Professor of Mathematics University of Florida How short is an “instant”? Is it a second? A tenth of a second? A microsecond? You might think all of these qualify. What about 100 years? That certainly doesn’t seem[…]

“We have had an incredible impact on the environment of our planet,” says Colin Waters, principal geologist at the British Geological Survey. (Photo: Kevin Gill/flickr/cc) The epoch is thought to have begun in the 1950s, when human activity set global systems on a different trajectory By Deirdre Fulton / 08.29.2016 The Anthropocene Epoch has begun,[…]

Azteca ants, unsung heroes of coffee pest control. Kate Mathis By Dr. Kate Mathis / 08.15.2016 Research Associate in Ecology & Evolutionary Biology University of Arizona Ants are voracious predators and often very good at defending plants from herbivores. People have taken advantage of this quirk for centuries. In fact, using ants in orange groves[…]